In this Op-Ed in the Star Phoenix we point out that the lack of progress with our innovative community-owned wind scheme is due to entrenched interests at Saskatoon Light & Power and SaskPower. Those two power companies are using their monopoly status to prevent competition.

Such actions are entirely what one might expect from a monopolist. They are probably driven by concern within those companies that the new electricity economy will make them redundant. This is a shame because the opposite is true and the reality is that they have a critical part to play as enablers of that new economy. Unfortunately they will not naturally evolve to that role.

Change can only happen through new policy and, absent that, expect more strategic studies from the City of Saskatoon together with further Smart Meter debacles and Carbon Capture boondoggles from SaskPower.